NFU And FFA Commit To Joint Dairy Lobby Tactics
UK - Milk prices were top of the agenda when the National Farmers' Union (NFU) met with Farmers' For Action (FFA) earlier in the week. Common ground was found with both organisations agreeing to join forces in lobbying priorities – focusing on calls for Defra to back the Commission and the High Level Milk Group.
20 January 2011
2 minute read
The NFU and FFA have also agreed to tackle the issue of milk prices with farmer representatives in a bid to win price rises across the dairy sector.
NFU President Peter Kendall and NFU Dairy board chairman Mansel Raymond met with Farmers for Action chairman David Handley to discuss the crisis in the industry with milk prices remaining below the cost of production, despite rising market prices throughout 2010.
Both organisations have said a recent price rise from Milk Link gave some light at the end of the tunnel but more was needed – and fast.
Mr Raymond said: "We are both extremely angry and frustrated by the events of the past few months. We’re starting to see chinks of light on the horizon, but we are agreed that more pressure is needed in the short term to ensure that farmers feel the full benefit of the continued strength in markets. We are also agreed on the need to urgently tackle the very root of the problems that have allowed processors to deny our hard-working farmers a fair price in the first place.
"As part of this, the NFU has agreed to replicate the successful farmer representative summit it held last year, and I am pleased that FFA will be involved in this event - a major focus of which will be the Commission’s proposals for the dairy sector, and boosting farmers’ negotiating clout. We know that this might take longer to achieve, but the results will be much longer lasting.
Mr Handley said: "This meeting was about identifying common ground and looking ahead to find the best way to deliver for dairy farmers. It’s important to show a united front as we all have dairy farmers’ best interests at heart, and there’s a lot of work to be done. Top of both our agendas is milk prices - specifically keeping up the pressure so that processors and retailers have nowhere left to hide.
"As well as focusing on the here and now, we have talked about the opportunities for farmers in the Commission’s dairy package, and are both agreed on the need to lobby Defra strongly to ensure that UK farmers will benefit from the changes."
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